Because of high population density in Europe agriculture cannot define its aims on its own but has to take account of quite a number of demands from different actors. For instance, agriculture is expected to produce food and at the same time to contribute to the protection of cultural landscapes...

In the course of economic development there is a general downward trend of agricultural employment, although structural change in agriculture is often delayed. In the EU-15, agricultural employment decreased by -2.3% p.a. (measured in regular persons) and -3.0% p.a. (measured in annual working...